Leonora Carrington (1917 – 2011)

Leonora Carrington (1917 – 2011)
Head, c. 1940
Pencil, ink and watercolour on paper
36 x 23 cm

Carrington was a British painter and novelist; one of the last surviving participants of the Surrealist movement of the 1930s. Her bewitching works evoke alchemy, sorcery, the occult, and allegory. She said: ‘I am a believer in mysteries. I believe in dreams. I believe in soul.’

Jeffrey Sherwin recounted the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the creation of this work in his 2014 book ‘British Surrealism Opened Up’; ‘Leonora Carrington drew Head while receiving treatment for a mental breakdown at the Santander Clinic in Spain, possibly looking at herself in a mirror. Carrington, prone to nervous breakdowns, had to find her own way to neutral Spain from France, having been ditched by Max Ernst, after the German occupation of France at the beginning of WWII. I sent a photo of this drawing to Broadmoor Psychiatric Hospital for an opinion. The reply that came was that is depicted; “Definitely someone dealing with their own demons.’’’